While the Bible is filled with promises that discuss God’s plans for our lives, it’s crucial that we understand that our enemy also has plans for us. Unlike the plans of God, Satan’s plans bring about nothing but pain and destruction. Today, discover what it means to derail the plans that Satan has for your life. When you manage to destroy those plots, you can fully embrace the glorious plans that your Father in Heaven has for you.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NLT)
When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
Paul made it clear when writing to the Church at Corinth that Satan had evil schemes for their lives. The presence of Satan’s clever, despicable schemes is not a New Testament concept. You don’t have to look any farther than the first book of the Bible to find Satan plotting to destroy the people of God.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were the only two people that existed. God had given them everything that they needed in order to live beautiful, prosperous lives. There was only one rule: they could not eat the fruit that came from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There came a day where Satan positioned himself near the tree, and as Adam and Eve walked by, he started a conversation with Eve. During that conversation, he convinced Eve that she had misunderstood what God really meant. She ate of the fruit, Adam ate the fruit, and sin entered the world.
They knew the Word of God, but they allowed Satan to creep into their lives and plant seeds of doubt. Today, he relies on the same type of schemes to convince us to forfeit the plans that God has for us. Take a moment and think about the original plans that God had for the world’s first couple. They had everything that they needed, they walked every day with God, and they were never going to die. They literally had immortality, but they threw it all away because they fell for Satan’s scheme.
In the verses that we just read from 2 Corinthians, Paul declares that we are familiar with his evil schemes. The scheme that he used in the Garden of Eden is the basis for every scheme that he attempts to use today. He tries to make us question what we really know about God’s Word. Knowing God’s Word and allowing it to permeate your heart is one of the most important aspects of destroying Satan’s plot against you.
Today, we’re going to discover what God’s Word says about some of the tactics that Satan tries to use to derail the plans that God has for us. Doing so will allow us to cut off any of those plans long before they have time to take hold.
Overcoming Bitterness
Hebrews 12:15 (NLT)
Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Before we dive into this verse, take a look back at the first verse that we read to begin today’s study. Paul spoke about the fact that he would forgive anyone that the Corinthian Church chose to forgive. He also spoke about the importance of him extending forgiveness to people. It’s no coincidence that Paul spoke on the importance of forgiveness before telling the Church at Corinth that they were not aware of Satan’s schemes.
One of the devil’s most powerful tools that he uses against us is bitterness. When you have been hurt or wronged by someone, it’s easy to hold onto that pain, and allow it to turn into bitterness. While we do not know who wrote the Book of Hebrews, it is clear that he or she also had some insight into the danger that bitterness could cause.
The author of Hebrews compares bitterness to a poisonous root. When you allow a poisonous root to take hold in your life, it begins to have a negative impact on every relationship. When you carry the pain from one betrayal into your other relationships, you’re no longer capable of trusting people, no matter how sincere they are towards you.
Today, evaluate if there are any areas in your life where bitterness is taking root. If there is, ask the Holy Spirit for the ability to extend forgiveness to the people who have wronged you. This will derail Satan’s plot which involves you holding grudges against people from your past.
Avoiding Envy
James 3:14-16 (NLT)
But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
When we discussed the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden, it’s important to recognize that envy was at the heart of the fall. Long before Adam and Eve were created, Satan was an angel named Lucifer. There came a day in Heaven in which he grew envious of God’s role and decided that he would try to lead a mutiny. When he convinced Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, he did so by promising them that by doing so, they would become as wise as God. Adam and Eve allowed envy to propel them into the world’s first sin.
According to James, jealousy is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. Have you ever taken the time to think about the fact that the Bible calls envy a demonic feeling? That’s certainly a harsh take on envy, but there is a reason that God chose that adjective to describe jealousy and envy. It is because jealousy and envy were the causes of Satan and 1/3 of the angels in Heaven falling and envy was the reason for the first sin in human history.
Are you an envious person? If so, you may be falling prey to Satan’s plan for you. That plan involves convincing you that what you have is not enough, and that God isn’t caring for you. Avoid envy in your life and embrace the goodness that God has shown you.
Staying Connected
James 4:7-8 (NLT)
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Finally, the best way to overcome Satan’s plans for your life is to stay connected to God. When we are closer to Him, He draws even closer to us. The relationship that we have with God is a two-way concept. If we choose to put distance between ourselves and Him, He will not force us to come close. However, when there is distance between us and God, there is room for Satan and his plans to fill that vacant space.
We stay connected to God through a variety of means. First of all, when we commit ourselves to studying His Word, we make ourselves more aware of the promises of God. His promises always overpower Satan’s plots.
Also, it’s important to stay connected to other believers. When you have a network of other disciples in your life, they can encourage you to pursue the plans of God while avoiding the plots of the enemy.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, today, I ask for Your help in overcoming the plots that Satan wants to launch against me. I know that Your plans for me are all for my benefit, while his plans focus on my demise. Help me to cut off any root of bitterness and to avoid envy in my life. Surround me with other believers who can help encourage me to draw closer to You so You will be closer to me. In Christ’s name, Amen.